Hold-down apparatus for poles



Feb. 6, 1951 T. G. ROGERS HOLD-DOWN APPARATUS FOR POLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1949 I N 'E N TOR. 77mm; 6. Eva-52s Feb. 6, 1951 T. G. ROGERS 2,540,994

HOLD-DOWN APPARATUS FOR POL-ES Filed March 17, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. T/mM/w 6 Raga-ma" Patented Feb. 6, 1951 HOLD-DOWN APPARATUS FOR- POLES Thomas G. Rogers, Macon, Ga, assignor to Southern Wood Preserving Company, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application March 17, 1949, Serial No. 81,865

4 Claims.

This invention relates to hold-down apparatus for poles as they are passing through rossing machines to prevent them from whipping and getting out of control While they are rotating during the rossing operation. The idea is to provide a dependable hold-down device for poles which are being rossed in a machine of the type which rotates the poles While they are being fed longitudinally through the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weighted hold-down device of the type set forth, which will eliminate hazardous manual labor heretofore required for the same purpose.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is another side elevation showing a rossed pole being conveyed from the rossing machine with the hold-down in its raised position;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the holddown device engaging a pole;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the hold-down device; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

1 Referring more particularly to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the improved holddown device is shown as being used in conjunction with a well known type of pole rossing or debarking machine which has provision for rotating and feeding the poles therethrough While rotary cutters remove the bark. demonstrated that the rossed ends of the poles will whip as they emerge from the machine and not only cause damage to the machine, but expose the workmen to some danger of being injured by poles which whip themselves out of control. It is practically impossible to confine such poles to rotate on their longitudinal axis by using ordinary steady-rests, such as are ernployed on-lathes. Heretofore, it has been necessary to employ two extra laborers using lengths of pipe or the like as hold-down levers on opposite sides of the rossed end portions of the poles to prevent them from whipping out of control. This expedient involves some dangen'especially if the poles are crooked.

This invention eliminates the foregoing disadvantages by providing a rugged mechanically controlled hold-down device which effectively eliminates the whipping action of poles as they emerge from the machine.

In accordance with this invention, the holddown device is employed in combination with a rossing machine which is identical with that disclosed in the patent to Taylor et al., No. 2,230,336, dated February 4, 1941.

Experience has Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the machine is shown in the process of rossing a pole P, which is delivered to it on a pair of buggies It and ii mounted on a track l2, as disclosed in the aforesaid patent.

The machine embodies motor driven feeder mechanism within a housing is which is mounted at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the pole and simultaneously rotates and feeds it axially through the machine, while a pair of rotary cutters l4 and i5 perform the rossing operation. The cutters are controlled by a pair of levers l6 and il.

As disclosed in the aforesaid patent, the rossed pole is delivered from the machine onto a pair of buggies it and iii, also mounted on the track 12. The front buggy i8 is provided with a pair of rollers 2il-2l journaled in bearings 22--23 on the frame 24. An upstanding plate 25 on one side of the buggy has a horizontal upper edge over which the poles are rolled off onto skids. An upstanding triangular plate 25 extends above the level of the rollers on the opposite side of the buggy to prevent the poles from rolling off on that side and to help confine the poles between rollers. The back buggy i9 carries a rest block 2'! on its frame 28. The height of the receiving buggies is such that a pole initially clears them and the front buggy is moved or pulled forwardly by a cable 28 under the forward end of the pole until the pole rests on its rollers. When the pole emerges from the machine, its rear end falls on the rear buggy. Then, it is conveyed on the buggies to a skid or ramp where it is unloaded or kicked off as described in m co-pending application Ser. No. 77,911, filed February 23, 1949, entitled Pole Kicking Apparatus.

In accordance with this invention, the improved hold-down device is located at a distance of about eight or ten feet from the delivery end of the rossing machine and is suspended for up and down movement to straddle and engage the upper side of the pole. Referring to Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the hold-down device is shown as being slidably mounted on a pair of uprights or standards 29, anchored in the ground on opposite sides of the track it and having a cross bar (it at their upper ends. The hold-down device is shown as being supported on a suspended cross-head memher 3! which has a pair of guide sleeves 32 slidably mounted on the uprights 2s. The crosshead is shown as carrying angles 33 secured to a horizontal plate 23 which is connected by bolts 35 to structural angles 35 on a housing having a pair of vertical plates ill which are l-shaped at their bottom edges and which carry a pair of spaced rollers is suitably journalled on shafts 39 extending through the plates. The rollers 38, as shown in Fig. 3, project into the V-shaped notches in the plates 31 and are adapted to enfine the pole to rotate between the two rollers on the front buggy l8 and the rollers 38 carried by the hold-down bracket plates. However, crooked poles may whip out of the axial position shown in Fig. 3, toward either side of the hold-down device and the buggy.

As shown in Fig. 3, the hold-down-devioe is adapted to be raised by a power operated hoist,

- shown as comprising an air cylinder 4! suspended fromthe cross bar 38' and having a piston rod 52 connectedto :a' suspending cable i3 having a hook at connected toan upper bar 4-5 carrying a vplurality"of tension springs 56 connected at theirlower ends to a bar 41. The lower bar projects through an angle clip 4.8 on cross-head 3i. The air .motoris controlled to hoist the hold-down device by a three-way valve 49 connected' to a conduit I553 leading to the cylinder. Air under pressure is supplied through a conduit 5i and exhausted through a nipple 52. The valveis adapted-to exhaust the air to lower the hold-downdevice into engagement with a pole emerging from the machine.

In-accordance with the invention, the holddown; device is mounted at an angle to aplane normal-to the axis :of the pole. The angle is determined by the pitch of the helical path of the surface of the rotating pole as itis fed through the machine. ,In this instance, the angle ofthe plancof the rollers to the-axis of the pole is-shown as being between and The purpose of this is to prevent the forward or axial movement of the pole from exerting excessive lateral trust .on the rollers while the wei htbf the hold-down device is :supported on the pole. The suspension springs connected to the-suspending cable :43 serve to eliminate excessive shock dueto'falling movement of the hold-down device when a crooked pole whips. In other 7 words, the springs prevent the hold-down device fronrfall-ing freely on the pole ,after 'it has raised the hold-downdevice above its normal contacting position on the pole. Furthermore, the holddown device has sufiicient weight to ride smooth lyonthe .poleas it tends to whip and restrains' It will thus maintainthe axis of the pole ,above the bight between the whipping movement do s rollers 33 until afterthe frontbu yhas moved onthe track l2 asubstantial distance from the delivery end of the machine. Then, the

forward end ofthe pole will naturally rest upon"- the rollers of the frontjbuggy and whipping action the pole will be restrained by the hold-down device, including the V-shaped edges of the.

plates. Furthermorarthe pole cannot whip out .The operator of the machine will 4 V the hold-down rollers and the rollers on the front buggy.

From the foregoing description, it xWill be understood that the hold-down device is rugged in construction and automatic in its operation. It eliminates the necessity to employ extra workmen-and also the hazards connected with the use of control because of its confinement between V of ordinary manual levers heretofore employed. Also, the use of the hold-down device will prolong the life of a rossing machine by eliminating the damage which would be caused by poles whipping out of control. 7

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof herein shownand described.

What is claimed is: 1;

1. In combination with a pole rossin :,-machine which rotates and feeds ,a pole ,longitwdinally'therethrough and a pair of buggies ,;-to receive and transport the rossed poles away from the delivery end of the machine, the, front-free end of a pole being jrossed being adapted-to rest upon the front one of said buggies while-therear end of a completely rossed pole is. adapted to rest upon the rear one'of said buggies; :a holddown device at the deliveryend of said machine and spaced therefrom comprising a weighted,

pole straddling member positioned :above the rcssed end portion of the pole; -.-horiz.onta lly spaced, anti-friction rollers carried by said-straddling member positioned to engage opposite ld-c' portions of the rossed portion of the P0182135 at rotates and is fed longitudinally thereundersa-nd coacting with saidfront buggy to restrainrwhipping action of the rossed; end portion of thepQle;

and upright guides confining :said straddling The combination, :as set forth inclaiinrl,

wherein the straddling member is carriediby :a. cross head slidably mounted on'said pr-ign1;

guides; cable and spring means suspending said.

cross head; and a pneumatic motor. connected to the cable to lift said straddling membercollt of engagement with the pole.

i. The combination, as set forth in-clai-m l, wherein the straddling memberis substantially shaped and the rollers are disc-shapediwand means supporting-the straddling memberwith the disc-shaped rollers. at ans-angle to a plane normal to the axis of the pole correspondingto the pitch angle of thehelical .movement of the pole. r

'THOMASG; ROGERS.

REFERENCES CITED The. following references are .of recondgin the file of this patent:

Unrrnnsmras PATENTS 

